My City August 2021

MYFUN

OASIS ACRES SELLS GLOVES, HATS, SCARVES AND MORE, MADE OF FLEECE FROM THEIR ALPACAS.

O asis Acres offers tours of the farm that are designed to educate the public on farm life in a modern world, which as a teacher, is very important to Fowler. When she first started providing education about the alpacas, the most common ques tion asked was: What is the differ ence between a llama and an alpaca? Both members of the camel fam ily – they are like cousins – alpacas are much smaller, Fowler explains. “The difference is about 200 pounds and a whole lot of attitude,” she says with a smile. She describes the alpacas as very endearing. “They are so friendly and you can actually see them thinking. The fleece they produce is phenomenal, unlike any other animal on the planet.” Fowler started tours of Oasis Acres in 2019 during the pandemic. “People just needed to get out of the house,” she says. Open tour days are Thursdays and Fridays from

“Alpacas are so much fun to be around – everything about them is so sweet. They are truly amazing!” REBECCA FOWLER

11am-3pm. “Anyone can come,” she adds, “and it ’s free.”The farm also offers private tours (by appoint ment), a one-hour experience for families of all sizes.They also board, breed and sell alpacas. The farm is currently home to seven adult al pacas: three babies and seven males.

Owning an alpaca farm has been a dream come true for Fowler. “This has been my pet project,” she shares. “It gives me so much joy to have opened my farm to the public. Alpacas are so much fun to be around – everything about them is so sweet. They are truly amazing!” x

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